


The Cajun Job

by dragonwriter88



Series: Leverage Inc. in the Marvel Universe [2]
Category: Leverage, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Crossover, Humor, Marvel Universe, Theft, Thieves Guild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 14:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14896469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwriter88/pseuds/dragonwriter88
Summary: After the Canada job, Nate and the team figured they had seen the last of the famous X-men, until Wolverine brings them a new case. This one is a little more complicated.





	The Cajun Job

**Author's Note:**

> So, I had enough comments that I decided to continue this series. It's a fun sandbox to play in, so it didn't take much. Remy Lebeu is one of my favorite characters, so I hope you enjoy his case.

After what they decided to call the Canada Job, word of Leverage Inc. spread through the superhero community. It started slow, with Logan coming back with his teammate Gambit. Also known as Remy LaBeau, the reformed thief was framed for a high profile theft of several pieces of very old jewelry, said to be owned by Madam Pompadour, and Logan thought that they could help clear his name.

This led to the whole team spread out in Nate’s apartment over the bar for a meeting with the X-men. Elliot stayed in the kitchen, chopping things so he had an excuse to keep a big knife in his hand while he kept an eye on their two visitors. Hardison was already deep in cyberspace looking for background information. Sophie Devereaux looked completely at ease as she chatted with the two men, both of which were on their best behavior. Parker had disappeared soon after she arrived, but Nate knew she was still in the room because of the cereal that she kept crunching on. Nate accepted a cup of coffee from a tense Elliot and sat down to talk to the clients.

“So, Mr. Logan,” the master-mind began, “what brings you back to Boston?”

Logan pointed a thumb at the grinning man. “Gumbo got himself in some trouble with the law. Can’t defend him as an X-man ‘cause Chuck said that we shouldn’t acknowledge the claims with the current political atmosphere, so I thought of you,” Logan explained. He had claimed the same spot on the couch as last time. He was also drinking Eliot’s beer, which might be why the hitter was so annoyed.

“I see,” Nate Ford nodded with understanding. He was used to meeting clients alone or with Sophie so meeting with the whole team in his apartment was throwing him off a little. They also weren’t used to return customers. He turned to Mr. LaBeau, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest as he studied the room with his red eyes. Those eyes gave Nate the shivers, which only seemed to amuse the Cajun. His smile grew when he noticed Nate’s attention. “Mr. LaBeau, I must ask this and know that we do not judge, but did you steal the jewelry in question?”

Remy tipped his head. “If Gambit goin’ to steal something, he know better than to leave his calling card, no?”

Nate fixed the mutant with what he hoped was an intimidating look. “That doesn’t answer the question.”

Parker dropped down from the ceiling, right in front of the Cajun. He did not seem surprised by her unusual entrance and Nate wondered if he had known she was there the whole time. “You’re Remy LaBeau of the Thieves Guild, Le Diable Blanc?” she asked.

Remy relaxed completely and turned on the charm for the blond thief. “That I be, cher,” he said, taking her hand to kiss the back of it.

Parker giggled and blushed. None of the team had seen her blush like that. “Nate, he didn’t do it. Trust me if the Raging Cajun had done this then it would have been in style.” She turned back to Remy, covering her flaming cheeks with her hands as she twittered like a schoolgirl. “I’m a big fan.”

“Enough of this,” Logan growled, getting up to get another beer. “You going to help or not?”  He glared at Remy whose attention was fixed on Parker. “And wipe that smirk off your face, Gumbo. No one cares if you got yourself a fangirl.”

“Eh, you just jealous, Wolverine,” Remy said, his attention still on Parker.

Elliot glared at the short Canadian and buried the tip of his knife into the squash he was preparing. “Be careful how you speak to my team,” he growled softly as the man walked past him to get to the fridge.

Logan paused and raised an eyebrow at the other man. “I’m not threatening them, bub, I just want to get this over with.”

Elliot’s eyes flickered to Parker who was gushing over Gambit. “Me too,” he admitted and when Logan opened the fridge to get his beer, Elliot snagged one too.

 

Nate promised the X-men that they would take the job and would call them when they were ready to make a move. Logan had to drag LeBeau away, grumbling under his breath, while Elliot distracted Parker and Sophie soothed Hardison’s ruffled feathers. The hacker had not been happy to surface from his computer to find the thief hanging on the client’s every word. It seemed that the attraction and inherent jealousy went both ways, Nate thought. That might make things more complicated. Still, Hardison had plenty of information for the debrief. Apparently, the alleged victim had a secret on-line life that included several blogs and a newsletter about the dangers of the mutant menace that included plenty of racial bigotry for the extra kick in the gut to decent human nature. Hardison was practically spitting as he brought up an article about how the Holocaust was faked yet blaming the atrocities on the mutants for no apparent reason. Nate nodded in sympathy but urged them to move on. The man, a Mr. Clarisse, also had a huge insurance policy on the stolen jewelry, much more than the items were valued for. Nate wasn’t the only one who thought that sounded like a smoking gun. He considered their options for several minutes while his crew debated which con would work better.

Finally, Nathan Ford stood up, nodding to himself in satisfaction. “We’ll keep this simple,” he declared. “Let’s go steal a theft.” He barely noticed the groans from the others as he left the room, already thinking of the facets of the plan.

 

The first facet of the plan involved getting Sophie close enough to the mark to confirm that the jewelry had never been stolen in the first place. That was absurdly easy. The grifter had him eating out of her hand within moments of stealing his date’s seat. Eliot gleefully took one for the team as he distracted the pretty debutant and bought her a drink after she saw another woman with her date. He went off coms for a few hours.

The second stage, after Sophie got the man drunk enough to take her home and show her the jewelry, was for Hardison, Parker, and LeBeau to create replicas close enough to fool an amateur. Then Parker started taking credit for the heist and flashing the fakes around. Remy used his connections to make sure that the mark’s hired thief, the one who had impersonated Gambit so poorly, heard about it. When the thief complained to his employer about it, Clarisse started getting nervous about someone finding out he still had the originals.

Nate took control of the third stage. He pretended to be an insurance agent and came sniffing around to get the mark nervous.

“Now, I’m not saying that you have done anything wrong, Mr. Carlton, but one of the pieces that was stolen from you has turned up,” Nate said, his voice nasally and annoying. He walked around the mark’s upscale apartment, trailing his fingers over every surface while the mark cringed. He spun abruptly to see the man biting his knuckles. “The problem is we are not sure of its authenticity, while we are sure of its origins. When we catch the thief, they might have the real thing, but if they don’t… Well, then, we’ll have to do some more paperwork before we can return your property or fill your claim.”

“It’s Clarisse,” the mark corrected testily. “What does it matter if the thief has a fake?”

“Oh, nothing,” Nate said. In his ear, Sophie coached him through reeling in the mark. He didn’t need the help but he appreciated the woman’s voice in his ear. “It just makes us wonder if the piece was even stolen in the first place.” He forced a laugh. “But of course, someone of your social standing would never do something like file a false claim, would you?” He smacked a hand down on a side table, nearly toppling over a vase, which made the mark order him to leave right this moment. Nate made a show of being reluctant to leave, even as he was itching to get away from the jerk and take a shower.

After planting the seed of doubt, Parker and Remy nurtured it by breaking into the mark’s office. Both thieves complained about having to leave evidence that they had been there, but Nate talked them around. It was harder to convince Logan and Elliot to not fight their way into the building when the alarms went off and triggered a shut down. Luckily, Remy was able to blow the security door to the roof and Parker had an extra repelling harness. The thieves landed on Lucille’s roof laughing like idiots. After that, Remy started calling Parker his “petite soeur” or little sister. Parker loved it and it got Hardison to relax a little after he asked Sophie what it meant.

Spooked by Nate and the break-in, Clarisse turned to his new lady friend for advice. Sophie, of course told him to sell the “hot items” to a man she knew by reputation. It took a little maneuvering but the alleged fence was in the right place at the right time. Agent McSweeten, who had recently been tapped for an undercover sting in New Orleans, gleefully agreed to meet with Clarisse to discuss the buy. He was even more excited to see the evidence that Parker and Remy had stolen along with a note from Agent Hagen in the trunk of Clarisse’s car, along with one of the “stolen” pieces. Eliot and Logan had been in charge of planting everything. Turns out that Logan’s claws had other uses than just stabbing, which was a better option then Elliot’s crowbar.

Over all the case was a success. Clarisse was under at least three federal investigations: one for fraud, one for selling stolen property, and one for inciting domestic terrorism. That last one was Hardison’s contribution, and would doubly ensure that the bastard never sees the outside of a prison again. Parker and Remy were as thick as thieves (pun intended) and promised to stay in touch. Remy even gave her one of his old lock pick sets, which she cherished more than a stack of non-sequenced hundreds. Hardison was just happy for it all to be over.  Logan and Elliot were a little disappointed that they never got to hit anyone, but they soothed their ruffled egos with some beer. Nate confided to Sophie while they watched their teammates and the X-men, that he was worried of this becoming a trend.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on one more for this series, but I'm open for suggestions for other stories. Just drop me a comment if you have any ideas.   
> Disclaimer: No promises, but I love to see what you can come up with.


End file.
